每日英語跟讀 Ep.K632: Tokyo's Nightlife Struggles to Recover Despite Global COVID Rebound
Tokyo's nightlife is still struggling to regain its vibrant glow even as the global economy recovers from the impact of COVID-19. NASA's luminosity data reveals that the city's nighttime brightness remains at 90% of its pre-pandemic levels in 2019, while cities like Paris and London have fully regained their nocturnal radiance.
儘管全球經濟正從COVID-19的影響中恢復，東京的夜生活仍在掙扎著恢復其活力的光芒。NASA（美國國家航空暨太空總署）的亮度數據顯示，該市的夜間亮度仍然保持在2019年疫情前的水平的90％，而巴黎和倫敦等城市已完全恢復了他們的夜間亮度。
According to data processed by the Colorado School of Mines using NASA satellite images, Nikkei, a Japanese news source, has calculated the nighttime brightness of various cities during the April-October period of 2022. The findings show that Paris experienced a 3.2% increase in illumination levels and London saw a 1.4% rise from 2019 averages. However, Tokyo's luminosity dropped by 11.6%.
日本的新聞來源《日本經濟新聞》根據美國科羅拉多礦業學院使用NASA衛星圖像處理的數據，計算了2022年4月至10月期間各個城市的夜間亮度。結果顯示，巴黎的照明水平增加了3.2％，倫敦則增加了1.4％，而東京的亮度下降了11.6％。
This decline in Tokyo's nighttime radiance is largely attributed to the slow recovery of its central business districts, which were once bustling hubs for after-work socializing. The decrease in luminosity is more pronounced in entertainment districts than residential areas. Nightspots like Roppongi, Shinjuku, and Ginza saw light levels drop by over 15%. Downtown foot traffic in February was about 20% lower than three years prior, according to mobile location data from Docomo Insight Marketing. Labor shortages are exacerbating the situation, making it challenging for understaffed eateries to operate late into the night.
東京夜間亮度的下降主要歸因於其中央商業區恢復的緩慢，這些地區曾經是下班後繁忙的社交中心。亮度的下降在娛樂區比住宅區更為明顯。六本木、新宿和銀座等夜生活熱點的燈光水平下降超過15％。根據電信公司Docomo Insight Marketing提供的行動設備定位數據，2月份市中心的人流量比三年前少約20％。勞動力短缺也加劇了這種情況，使得人手不足的餐廳難以經營到深夜。
The decline in business hours has affected consumption patterns. According to TableCheck, customer traffic at Tokyo eateries in March was 14.9% below the 2019 average. Declines were steeper during late hours, with a drop of 44.8% between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. and 57.9% between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m.
營業時間的減少影響了消費模式。根據TableCheck網站的數據，2023年3月，東京餐廳的客流量比2019年平均水平低了14.9％。在深夜時段，下降更為明顯，例如下午6點至晚上10點之間下降了44.8％，晚上11點至凌晨2點之間下降了57.9％。
Takahiro Saito, representative director of the Japan Nighttime Economy Association (JNEA), emphasizes the need to attract different customer groups, such as families and foreign visitors, to revitalize the sector. He suggests increasing the number of downtown theaters and social events.
日本夜間經濟協會（JNEA）的代表董事Takahiro Saito強調了吸引不同客戶群的必要性，如家庭和外國遊客，以振興該領域。他建議增加市中心劇院和活動的數量。
Although an increase in foreign tourists is expected with COVID-19 restrictions being lifted, Tokyo faces challenges like limited public transportation at night. Despite these hurdles, this situation presents an opportunity for Tokyo to not only boost its economy but also rejuvenate its urban culture.
儘管預計隨著COVID-19限制措施的解除，外國遊客的數量將有所增加，東京仍然面臨著夜間大眾運輸有限的挑戰。儘管存在這些困難，但這種情況為東京提供了一個不僅提振其經濟，還能同時使城市文化得到復興的機會。
Reference article: https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Datawatch/Tokyo-nightlife-still-not-fully-lit-despite-global-COVID-recovery